Better With Two
by Believer29
Summary: Oneshot, nineXrose, season 1 post WWIII leading into Dalek. After a brief discussion about domestics, Rose discovers her bedroom, the Doctor has a temperamental time-ship to repair and both reflect on their newfound friendship.


**Writers note: Aaaand another one. Just a little plot bunny that came out to play on the weekend. This one's set immediately after WWIII leading into Dalek.**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC, the only thing I own is a replica sonic screwdriver. And a calendar which is permanently staying on September, cause it's got my favourite Doctor on it!**

* * *

"_You still can't promise me. What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away. How long do I wait then?"_

"_Mum, you're forgetting. It's a time machine. I could go travelling around suns and planets and all the way out to the edge of the universe, and by the time I get back, yeah, ten seconds would have passed. Just ten seconds. So stop worrying. See you in ten seconds' time, yeah?"_

The TARDIS began to dematerialise the second Rose closed the door, and the Doctor had his ship already settled into the vortex by the time his companion made her way up the ramp.

"Ten seconds?" he looked at her incredulously as she seated herself next to her discarded rucksack.

She crossed her arms and squinted at him curiously. "What, you can't do ten seconds later? No, wait, you _so_ can! You came back for me after a few seconds when I said no the first time!"

"A couple weeks would be better don'tcha think?" he suggested, in an effort to change her viewpoint. "Otherwise she'll be expecting ten seconds later every visit."

"Okay, but we're definitely gonna have to visit more often," she insisted.

The look on his face was priceless. She'd seen him gleeful, infuriated, concerned, frustrated, sad and even somewhat alarmed, but not… frightened. Composed in the face of imminent danger, but quite unsettled at the idea of visiting Jackie Tyler at regular intervals.  
"I don't do domestic," he repeated himself, steeling his expression in an attempt to regain control of the situation.

"It doesn't have to be very _domestic_," she quipped, using a poor northern accent to mock him. "Just stop by every now and then, have a cuppa. She'll warm up to you eventually, offered to cook you dinner earlier, remember?"

He rolled his eyes at her, "I don't do that."

"I know-" she was giggling now.

"Oh do you, now?" he raised his eyebrows, but didn't meet her eyes, instead focussing very intently on the monitor.

He prepared himself for an argument, but all he got from her was a massive yawn.

"I'm knackered," she rubbed her face.

"Why's that, then?" he looked her up and down scrutinisingly.

"Oi, I've been awake for … God I dunno how long." Another yawn. "Guess I've been running on adrenaline, yeah?"

"… oh," was all he said.

"Yeah, well first I'm up late saving your hide from the Nesting Conscious,"

"Nestene Consciousness_-_"

"Then nearly get barbecued on Platform One. Then we have chips, then go meet Charles Dickens, do battle with blue ghosts, then you drop me back here – a YEAR late, then up I'm all night fighting Sliveen. I get a couple hours with my Mum and then we're off again. I'm going to find my bedroom," she got off the seat, grabbing her pack and slinging it over one shoulder.

_SliTHeen,_ he wanted to correct her, but didn't say it out loud this time.

"Oh and just think, if we go visit Mum more often," she lilted her voice teasingly, "We won't have to stay as long. Small doses, yeah?"

He paused, considering her proposition. "Alright then," he caved, with a nonchalant shrug. It was an acceptable compromise, he supposed, after dropping her off a year late. Not that it was his fault – he'd already checked the coordinates he'd punched in, it was definitely supposed to only be twelve hours, but clearly the TARDIS had other ideas, which led him to wonder about the depths of the sense of humour his sentient time-ship had developed over the centuries.  
If anything, it indicated that the TARDIS was adamant to make his life full of surprises.

"See you la'er," Rose said quietly, heading off into the endless TARDIS corridors. They all seemed to look the same, and she knew roughly where the kitchen was, and vaguely recalled the path to the wardrobe, but she hadn't found a bedroom yet. It was the strangest feeling – as her feet thumped lightly on the grated floor, as she walked past column after column of coral struts and circular… _thingies_ on the walls; that despite having no clue where she was supposed to be heading, the direction she took felt as though she'd walked the path a thousand times before. She remembered the Doctor telling her the TARDIS was telepathic, gets inside your head and translates for you. Did that mean the TARDIS was telepathically leading her to her bedroom? Apparently so, she realised, as she came to a halt in front of a door, which slid open with a delicate hydraulic-like hiss, and the room beyond emanated a soft glow. "Is this my room?" she asked the walls, before shaking her head. "I'm talking to a spaceship…" She could have sworn she felt a hum in response to her comment, but brushed it off due to fatigue. The door automatically closed behind her.

Her room looked very inviting, carpets and a large plush bed with pink covers. A little plain, under-decorated, it hardly felt like home, but that could be easily fixed. She rustled through her pack, looking for some pyjamas, before stripping off, and slipping into a lacy pink vest top, and matching long striped pyjama pants, before drawing back the bed covers and retreating into the luxuriously plush heaven that was her new bed. "Oh that's jus' gorgeous," she moaned in pleasure, revelling in the comfort. The lights dimmed automatically, and moments later she slipped into a deep slumber.

* * *

The Doctor made a mental note to ensure Rose got more periodical sleeping hours, if they had to deal with hostile aliens, it wouldn't do for her to be less than fully alert. In addition to that, if she was too tired, she mightn't be able to run as fast as normal, and running was a very crucial aspect of his travels. Of course, that would mean more time in the TARDIS, waiting for his new companion to rest up, but he could busy himself easily enough. The console took quite a thrashing every now and then, always repairs to be done. He supposed he could spend more time in the Library, or any other part of the TARDIS. His ship was more or less infinite, and always changing, so even if by some miracle, he had seen it all, she would only go and change it again – reassemble the furniture, delete rooms, make new ones, or displace others, so he would have to spend time finding them again… she did it either out of boredom or simply to irritate him out of some misplaced conception of retribution for all the rough trips he'd put her through the past several centuries. Perhaps she would be a little less temperamental now that he'd taken on a companion, who he suspected she liked; given he could sense the warm greetings the TARDIS gave Rose every time she stepped into the console room.

Due to travelling alone for so long, he hadn't realised how much he missed the company, and the joy he felt from showing the universe to another. And that's when the epiphany hit him. Rose was brave, and clever enough – for a human, and sure, she had a lot to learn, and wasn't always the picture of maturity, but her potential was enormous. He didn't have to go it alone anymore. All that misery and loneliness for the last of the Time Lords, abated by the presence of a blonde teenager in a pink hoodie- he laughed heartily at the absurdity of it all.

The idea that one day Rose would be leaving, either by her own choice or his, for whatever reason; made him feel apprehensive given how quickly he was growing fond of her. That day was inevitable, but right this moment, there was no need to be concerned about that.

Alone with his thoughts, he came to realise he was weary himself, and whilst Rose was sleeping, it might be prudent to take a rest, too. He checked the console monitor one last time before he walked up the ramp. The console room dimmed as the TARDIS powered down to conserve energy, leaving a trail of yellow lights down the walkways leading out.

"Thank you," he said quietly, smiling a little, patting a coral strut affectionately.

For the first time in a while, he didn't dream about the war, instead of Rose Tyler's smile and her hand that fit so neatly in his.

* * *

She'd woken a few times, but this was the first time she noticed the ceiling above her had changed. "No way," she sat up abruptly, staring up at the night sky above her. It was definitely her bedroom, in the TARDIS, she noted, looking around and seeing her earrings on the bedside table, her rucksack on the floor. Above her, there were stars, millions of them sparkling against a brilliant blue night sky. She'd never seen anything more beautiful in her life.

She slipped out of bed in search of the Doctor, and jogged down the corridors with child-like excitement, her bare feet smacking on the smooth floor as she went.

* * *

After four hours sleep, a shower and a shave, and a couple of hours in the Library – reading some Charles Dickens again in honour of meeting his nineteenth-century literary hero; the Doctor went back to the console room, in the mood for a bit of tinkering. It was curious that the TARDIS didn't light up the room when he entered, so he walked over to the console and flicked a switch to wake her up. However, he was greeted with several loud 'pops' and sparks emanating from beneath the floor panels.

"What's this, then?" he accused.

Upon closer inspection, he found the TARDIS had completely re-wired and rearranged some circuitry, which he purposefully altered a week ago for better insulation to prevent the lights wiring from tripping over and shorting the wires to the dematerialisation circuit. The supplies he'd used were primitive in comparison to the rest of the electrical systems, but they were sturdy, efficient and were compatible with that particular voltage. But the TARDIS had had enough, so he would have to do a quick patch job, whilst he considered the next stop for parts. The time-ship would probably be a little stroppy if he bought back second hand parts, so maybe he should hack a cash-point and pay for some brand new ones direct from the manufacturer.  
"Women," he muttered, pointing the sonic. Seconds later he was greeted with a zap to his fingertips followed by more sparks as further connections fizzled out.

* * *

Rose tentatively looked into the darkened console room.

"What are you doing?" she heard the Doctor's gruff voice. "This is rubbish, it's going to overload, blow all the fuses and short out the wiring to the-"

"Doctor?"

She giggled a little as his head popped out from beneath a raised floor panel. He was wearing a head strap torch. "Who are you talking to?"

"You're awake then, 'bout time. Humans, no stamina… you'd sleep your life away-"

"Yeah alright," she raised a palm to halt him, "You gotta come see this."

She turned back down the corridor.

"See what?" he hollered after her.

"Just come and see," she said, exasperated.

He pulled himself out of the hollow in the floor of the console room and tossed his headgear aside, before he followed her down the corridor. He was curious about the change of the floor in the corridors, which seemed to be smooth instead of the raised grated floor panels. Then he noticed Rose's bare feet. Of course the TARDIS would change things every now and then, but he couldn't help but wonder if the TARDIS had changed the floors _because _of Rose's bare feet. The TARDIS was telepathic, but she'd never done anything like that before, not even for him.  
After a few twists and turns, he followed her into what he assumed was now her bedroom, and she turned on him and grinned. "Look at this!" she said excitedly, looking up at the ceiling.

Oh yes, the TARDIS liked Rose Tyler, she'd welcomed her aboard with a projection of the night sky.  
"Oh, Mutters Spiral," he said simply, crossing his arms and looking up at the constellations.

"It's beautiful," Rose grinned.

"Yeah, it is," he meant more than just the ceiling, though. He regarded Rose with several glances, and couldn't help but notice she looked adorable sans makeup and her hair dishevelled, and wearing a pink pyjama vest top that might just be a little too revealing.

"What's Mother's Spiral?" she asked.

"_Mutters_ Spiral," he corrected, "Also known as the Milky Way. It's your home galaxy. You wouldn't see these clusters from London, though."

She squealed softly with child-like delight, "It's gorgeous!" she gripped his leather clad arm, and he responded by wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her flush with him; her soft delicate curves against his rough angular frame. She looked up at him with such pure untainted glee in her eyes that he couldn't help but grin in return.

"You see that one, there?" he pointed, leaning in a little closer so she could follow his line of sight.

"Yeah?"

"That's what humans call Orion. That one you _can_ see from Earth, it's the most well-known. Thing is 'constellations' weren't discovered as such, they were invented, a constellation is just a distinctive pattern of stars, easier to remember. They called it Orion after a giant hunter in Greek mythology."

She laid her head on his shoulder, and he allowed a few moments to stand there with her, content. No monsters, no _domestics._  
Just the Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS, the universe at their doorstep.  
Oh, he could get used to that.

"Right, so breakfast?" she suggested, her stomach growling.

"You know where the kitchen is, I've got some wires to solder up," he said. "I was halfway through reorganising them, the TARDIS has probably undone all my hard work now, thanks very much," he released her, heading towards the door.

"An that's my fault, how?"

"And don't dawdle, you've been asleep for near nine hours, Rose Tyler, we've got places to go, things to see," he called over his shoulder as he walked off towards the console room again.

She scoffed at his retreating figure. He was such an amazing man, caring and wonderful. Bit rude, though, and just a wee bit full of himself. She'd make it her mission to repeatedly let him know whenever he was getting too arrogant. Alone with her thoughts, she reflected on her newfound friendship with this man- who was an alien, but that was alright.  
She recalled the confliction in his decision yesterday. _I could save the world but lose you._ From an outside perspective, it would seem the Doctor was a stranger, she'd only known him a couple of days after all, and so his blatant desire to protect her at all costs was quite accelerative for their relationship. But she loved that about him, nonetheless.  
It wasn't romantic; at least she didn't think so. It was so much better than that. It was just… being happy and being together, in a mutually beneficial way. She could be his hand to hold, his best friend, the one to keep him company, and he could show her and teach her about the wonders of the vast universe they lived in. She didn't have to be a shop girl living on a council estate anymore, she could be the Doctor's companion, his 'plus-one', and off they would go – into time and space!

Elated from the results of her train of thought, she enjoyed a shower in her lovely en-suite bathroom and made quick work of getting ready for the day, deciding on jeans and white vest top, a white and pink hoodie. She brushed out her long tresses, leaving it loose but pinning it away from her face. She felt a little naked without her makeup, so she had a proper go at it, spreading on some foundation, finishing off with mascara and lip-gloss. Lastly, she slipped on her favourite hoop earrings and a pair of white trainers, before heading out the door again towards the kitchen for breakfast, which given the Doctor's comment earlier, she'd be having alone.

She noticed the change in the corridor floors again, back to the raised grated panels, as opposed to the smooth surface from not one hour ago. "S'weird," she muttered to herself. "What's it changing for?"

She was quite hungry by the time she made it to the kitchen. She settled for some toast and tea, as the Doctor had very little variety in pantry and fridge. She supposed he probably had take-out a lot, and why wouldn't you, if you could go anywhere in time and space? Have a craving for pizza, you could go to Italy and have dinner in an original authentic Pizzeria…

"Rose!" his impatient voice echoed down the halls.

She quickly devoured her toast, tossing the crusts away, and made a mad dash back to her bathroom to brush her teeth. She heard the groan of the time rotor, which had silenced by the time she reached the console room, indicating they had landed somewhere.

"Took you long enough," he chided, but grinned when she rolled her eyes. "Come on, something's up." He headed towards the TARDIS doors, stepping out.

"So what is it?" she followed him out. "What's wrong?"

"Don't know. Some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course."

"Where are we?" she queried.

"Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."  
He moved to look at a glass display case. The room seemed to only be lit by the glow from the TARDIS light, so she couldn't see much.

"And when are we?" she smiled, excitedly.

"Two thousand and twelve." The display case seemed to house some kind of stuffed lizard creature.

"God, that's so close. So I should be twenty six," she mused.

The Doctor flicked a light switch nearby, and they watched as the room lit up, showing rows of glass display cases, each filled with alien artefacts and stuffed specimens.

"Blimey. It's a great big museum."


End file.
